a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for enclosing a dental X-ray film pack useful in X-ray photography of a tooth upon dental diagnosis or treatment and an enclosure therefor.
b) Description of the Related Art
To perform X-ray photography of a tooth, there is employed a dental X-ray film pack which comprises an X-ray-transmitting but light-tight packaging member and an X-ray film enclosed within the packaging member. Such a dental X-ray film pack will next be described with reference to drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the dental X-ray film pack. In the drawing, numeral 1 is a packaging member made of an opaque flexible sheet so that the packaging member transmits X-rays but shields light. Designated at numeral 2 is an X-ray film sealed within the packaging member 1.
Upon X-ray photography of a tooth of a patient, a dentist inserts the dental X-ray film pack into the oral cavity of the patient, holds the dental X-ray film pack in contact with the desired tooth and irradiates X-rays from an opposite side of the dental X-ray film pack. As a result, an X-ray latent image of the tooth is obtained on the X-ray film 2. The dentist takes the dental X-ray film pack out of the oral cavity of the patient, opens the packaging member 1 in a dark room or a dark box to take the X-ray film 2 out of the packaging member 1, and conducts development of the X-ray film 2. In this manner, an X-ray picture of the desired tooth can be obtained on the X-ray film 2. The dentist conducts a diagnosis or a treatment based on the X-ray picture.
When conducting X-ray photography, a dentist performs procedures including insertion of a dental X-ray film pack into the oral cavity of a patient, its removal from the oral cavity, and opening of the packaging member 1 to take the X-ray film 2 out for its development. It is therefore impossible to avoid sticking of the patient's saliva, which has been adhered a lot on the dental X-ray film pack, to the dentist.
Such sticking of saliva not only gives unpleasant feeling to the dentist but also has the potential danger that, when the dentist has a wound at a finger or the like, a virus in the saliva may penetrate through the wound and the dentist may be afflicted with a disease.
To prevent the above danger, the applicant has already proposed an envelope for enclosing a dental X-ray film pack (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,288 issued to the inventor of the present application on Apr. 3, 1990). This envelope will next be described with reference to some drawings. FIG. 2 is a front view of the envelope while FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the envelope taken along line III--III of FIG. 2. Shown in these drawings are an enclosing portion 3 and X-ray-transmitting flexible sheets 3a,3b made of a synthetic resin and forming the enclosing portion 3. The sheets 3a,3b are fusion-bonded along left-hand and right-hand edges thereof, whereby the enclosing portion 3 is formed into a bag-like shape opening at both upper and lower edges thereof. Designated at numeral 4 indicates a holding portion. Symbols 4a,4b indicate sheets extending continuously from the sheets 3a,3b, respectively. These sheets 4a,4b are formed narrower but longer than the sheets 3a,3b. Numeral 5 indicates a flap portion which extends out slightly from the upper edge of the sheet 3b and is coated with an adhesive. At numeral 6, there is shown a pinching portion which is formed at a free end portion of the sheet 4b and extends outwardly beyond a free end of the sheet 4a.
Upon conducting X-ray photography, a dentist inserts a dental X-ray film pack into the enclosing portion 3 of the enclosure. The flap portion 5 is next folded and adhered onto the sheet 3a, so that an upper open end of the enclosing portion 3 is closed. As a consequence, the dental X-ray film pack enclosed within the enclosing portion 3 does not fall out of the enclosing portion 3. The dentist next places the enclosing portion 3 at a desired position relative to a tooth, which is to be photographed, within the oral cavity of a patient by a pair of tweezers. As an alternative, the enclosing portion 3 can be placed by the patient himself. In this state, the holding portion 4 sufficiently extends out of the oral cavity of the patient. Upon irradiation of X-rays from a side opposite to the enclosing portion 3, an X-ray latent image of the tooth is formed on the X-ray film 2.
Upon completion of the photography, the dentist holds the holding portion 4, takes the enclosing portion 3 out of the oral cavity of the patient and pulls apart the sheets 4a,4b of the holding portion 4 in opposite directions. As a result, the fusion-bonded side edges of the enclosing portion 3 are torn off so that the dental X-ray film pack enclosed within the enclosing portion 3 falls out of the enclosing portion 3. The dental X-ray film pack so fallen out is free of the patient's saliva because it has been enclosed within the enclosing portion 3 until that time. Therefore, there is no potential danger that the patient's saliva may stick to the dentist in the subsequent development processing.
Incidentally, the holding portion 4 can also be formed of a single sheet. Further, it is possible to use as each sheet a sheet having tearability in the direction of the length of the holding portion 4. Upon taking out the dental X-ray film pack, tearing of such a sheet permits easier removal of the dental X-ray film pack.
The dental X-ray film pack 1 shown in FIG. 1 is held at a photographing position upon taking an X-ray picture of a tooth. Although the patient may by himself hold the dental X-ray film pack 1 by his fingers as mentioned above, this holding is often achieved by using a block-shaped bitten support member (hereinafter called the "bite block") made of an X-ray transmitting material. This bite block is a discrete member from the dental X-ray film pack and upon photography, is used by adhering it on the dental X-ray film pack 1. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.
FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views of dental X-ray film packs with bite blocks adhered thereon, respectively. In each of FIGS. 4 and 5, numeral 1 indicates the dental X-ray film pack shown in FIG. 1 and numeral 8 designates a bite block. In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the bite block 8 is adhered to a lower part of the dental X-ray film pack 1. In the example shown in FIG. 5, on the other hand, the bite block 8 is adhered to a central part of the dental X-ray film pack 1. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an oral cavity, showing how to use the dental X-ray film pack 1 shown in FIG. 4 and having the bite block adhered thereon. In FIG. 6, there are shown upper and lower teeth T.sub.1,T.sub.2, upper and lower gums H1,H2, and the oral cavity at letter M. By biting the bite block 8 between the teeth T.sub.1 and T.sub.2, the dental X-ray film pack 1 is surely held at a predetermined position.
In the above description, the bite block 8 was explained by way of example as such a bite block that is formed as a discrete member from the dental X-ray film pack 1 and is to be adhered upon photography. There are however dental X-ray film packs 1 with a bite block 8 already adhered thereon when purchased. Many of dental X-ray film packs 1 employed especially for the diagnosis of periodontal disease (i.e., alveolar pyorrhea) are provided with a bite block 8 and are called "bite wing dental X-ray film packs". In the case of bite wing dental X-ray film packs, their bitten support members are not in such a block shape as described above but are made of a thin synthetic resin material or paper sheet in many instances. Bitten support members made of a thin synthetic resin material or paper sheet will also be called "bite blocks" hereinafter, because they have the same function.
As has been described above, the dental x-ray film pack 1 with the bite block 8 already attached thereto or a bite wing dental X-ray film pack cannot be enclosed in any conventional enclosures. Even if one dares to enclose it, the bite block 8 cannot be bitten. The conventional enclosure cannot therefore be used.